Boston University

Boston University Charles River Campus, Boston United States

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# 108QS World University Rankings

414Undergrad. & Postgrad. Programmes

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About Boston University

Boston University is a major global research institution, creating breakthroughs in everything from African studies to zebrafish genetics. With over 34,000 part-time and full-time undergraduate and graduate students and nearly 10,000 faculty and staff spread...
Read more across 17 schools and colleges, BU’s three city campuses are always humming. Established in 1869 by three Methodist businessmen, Boston University has since evolved into the largest university in Boston and the fourth-largest private university in the country. In 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked BU 37th in the nation and 39th among global universities. The faculty features a Pulitzer Prize winner, a MacArthur fellow, a former US Poet Laureate, and dozens of Guggenheim fellows. Our graduates are among the most employable in the country and the world—5th and 6th, respectively, according to Times Higher Education.

BU is a member of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group of 62 of North America’s most prestigious research universities. One of only four Boston-area members, BU boasts particular interdisciplinary breadth and depth of excellence in cloud computing and cyber security; engineering biology; infectious diseases; neuroscience; photonics; urban policy; education; and the humanities. Home also to a medical school and teaching hospital, in FY2017 BU landed more than $400M in federal research dollars. In the commercial sector, some 200 companies are developing and selling products based on BU discoveries.BU is also a global university, with thousands of international scholars, faculty, and students on campus at any given time. By the same token, thousands of Terriers and faculty members get their passports stamped each year for study, research, and internship opportunities on all seven continents.
With an alumni base of more than 300,000 graduates, Boston University has produced many notable alums including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The University counts 11 current or former governors of US states, 7 United States senators, and 32 members of the United States House of Representatives among its alumni. And a slew of Hollywood stars, including Geena Davis, Julianne Moore, Faye Dunaway, and Jason Alexander, call BU their alma mater, as do a number of other celebrated artists and thinkers.
BU is nestled in the heart of Boston, a hotbed of high tech and biomedicine, and the birthplace of American history, serving as an extended classroom for students, offering study, internship, and professional opportunities with some of the world’s most influential leaders in fields from art to finance to biotech. It’s no wonder BU is called “Boston’s university.”
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About Boston University

University information

Total students

27,938

UG students

63%

PG students

37%

International students

9,407

UG students

50%

PG students

50%

Total faculty staff

2,707

Domestic staff

81%

Int'l staff

19%

Rankings & Ratings

Boston University is one of the top private universities in Brookline, United States. It is ranked #108 in QS World University Rankings 2025.

Chart
Data

2012
#64
2014
#=79
2015
#78
2016
#91
2017
#89
2018
#81
2019
#=93
2020
#98
2021
#110
2022
#=112
2023
#108
2024
#=93
2025
#108

Ranking criteria

Overall

58.6

Academic Reputation

61.9

Citations per Faculty

41.3

Employment Outcomes

77.2

Employer Reputation

69.1

Faculty Student Ratio

38.3

International Faculty Ratio

34.3

International Research Network

86.9

International Student Ratio

88.9

Sustainability

65.9

View all rankings data

Campus locations

Main Campus

Boston University Charles River Campus Campus

One Silber Way

Boston

02215

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Boston University